Tera Childs: Sweet Legacy

There’s no time for guilt. Greer is almost well enough to move on, and we have a big mission ahead of us. And first, we need to hear what news our Abyssian friends have to share.

I sit down next to the golden maiden on the bench. “Is it anything I want to hear?”

She inclines her head as she lays a golden hand on my thigh.

That’s what I was afraid of.

“One of our spies”—she glances pointedly at Sillus—“overheard the boss talking about a mission to Panogia.”

I should have known it was something about the pet-store mash-up who runs things down here. First he kidnaps my guy, and then he busts up my friends’ stuff, not to mention the big battle back home that finally convinced Greer that some things are more important than a snooty tea.

“We already know about that. We faced his army earlier today,” I reply, remembering the crazy scene in Greer’s school gym. It feels like days, not hours, since we got caught between the Nychtian Army from the abyss and the Arms of Olympus. “We took care of them.”

Between the three of us opening a giant sucking portal and Grace autoporting us the hell out of Dodge, we’d come away from the skirmish unhurt. And all the beasties had been sent straight home.

“Not the army,” she explains. “He has sent assassins.”

“No. After us? Why didn’t he just kill me when he had the chance? When I was in his office.”

Zeus’s bounty and the reward of freedom from the monster realm must have gotten to be too great a temptation for boss man. My muscles tense. I should have taken care of that flipper-fisted moron the last time I was here. I might not have made it out of the abyss alive, but he’d be off our backs.

“You are correct.” The golden maiden shakes her head with a quiet squeak. “He did not send assassins after you.”

“Boss no kill huntress,” Sillus adds. “Need huntress. Three.”

Oh, yeah. Can’t forget that.

Sillus is right. Killing us doesn’t make sense for the beastie side of the war. The boss is on the side that wants us to open the door so monsterkind can run free in the streets of the human world. Killing us first would definitely prevent that from happening. They want to wait to kill us after.

My eyes narrow. “Who?”

She hesitates just briefly. “We cannot be certain,” she says, “but he seeks the woman who produced the Key Generation.”

“What does that mean?”

“We believe,” she says, her voice soft, “he means to kill your mother.”

Grace gasps.

I turn my head and find her standing right behind me. I hadn’t even realized she was listening.

“How did they find her?” she asks.

“That I do not know,” the golden maiden replies. “I know only that they have sent several teams to your realm. They believe she holds the key to finding you, to controlling your powers.”

“Why send assassins?” I ask.

“The boss believes that if she is dead”—the golden maiden swallows hard—“your powers will die with her.”

“No,” Grace whispers.

I grab her hand.

“Is that even possible?” I ask.

The golden maiden shrugs. “We do not know. The lore concerning your line, your legacy, has been hidden for so long. I suppose it is conceivable, but we do not have enough information.”

“It doesn’t matter if they will or not,” Grace says, her voice tight with emotion. “If the boss believes it, then our mother is in danger. We can’t let them kill her. Not now that we know for certain she’s still alive. Not now that we can find her.”

I can see the pain in her silver eyes, and it hurts me to see her hurt.

“We won’t,” I promise, even though I don’t know how.

We have to go after the gorgons—they’re being held prisoner, in constant immediate danger—but we have to protect our mother, not just because they might be able to use her to kill our powers, and not just because she’s our mother and a link in the chain leading all the way back to Medusa, but also because I know what this means to Grace. She is so proud to have found the clues to our mother’s location—that her name is Cassandra Gregory and what her phone number was four years ago—and I know Grace desperately wants to meet her.

And I find myself desperately wanting to make my sisters happy, no matter what.

“We have to protect her,” Grace insists. “ I have to. I have to go back.”

I’m surprised by the certainty I see in her determined gaze. The Grace I first met a few weeks ago would be frightened and full of doubts. She was too afraid to stand up to a mean girl at school or ask out the cute boy she liked. The Grace in front of me sits strong and sure of what she has to do. I’m impressed. As the multihued glow of the fire flickers in her eyes, I smile at the transformation.

No doubt our mother will be proud.

We will just have to rescue the gorgons and save our mother at the same time.

“Right,” I say, the plan forming in my mind as I speak. “We can handle things here. You go home and find our mother.”

Grace lights up with a hopeful smile.

Nick steps forward. “I’ll go with her.”

I swing my gaze his way.

His midnight blue eyes confront me, like this is a test. He’s offering to help, but will I let him? Do I trust him? Am I willing to put my sister’s safety in his hands?

I’ve already made my decision.

Without hesitation, I say, “Good idea.”

He gives me a tight nod.

That’s a lot of trust I just gave him. He knows how big that is, especially where my sisters are involved. They are more important to me than anything.

“No, I’ll go,” Thane says. He scowls at Nick. “Gretchen might need you here.”

Clearly he’s not ready to trust Nick quite that much.

“I should be the one to go.” Greer pushes unsteadily to her feet. “The boys will be far more useful down here than I am. Besides, you might need my . . . special skills to find her.”

“Sillus stay,” the little monkey freak says, moving closer to my side. “Help here.”

“Nick and I will be fine,” Grace insists, ignoring Thane’s scowl. “Gretchen will need your muscle,” she tells her brother. “And give me ten minutes online and I’ll be able to find our mother.”

Good, because Thane is keeping secrets. I don’t really want to interrogate him in front of Grace—she loves him and might not like what he has to say—so his staying behind is a double win. It will separate them for a while, and it will keep him in my sights.

I meet Grace’s gaze. “You’re sure? I’m not alone down here, you know.” I nod at the friends filling the cave around us. They might not be able to take on the entire Nychtian Army, but they’re more than adequate backup.

“I know,” Grace says, laying a hand on my shoulder. “I think you need at least one of us down here with you. And I’ll feel better knowing Thane is at your side.”

“Fine,” I say. “If you’re sure.”

“More than ever.” She smiles, and I can’t help but smile in return.

My little sister, all grown up—although maybe she just feels like my littler sister.

“Hey, which one of us is oldest, anyway?” I ask.

She frowns, probably wondering why I’m asking now of all times. “Greer,” she says, “and then me.”

I nearly choke. “I’m the baby?”

“I knew I had to be oldest,” Greer says. “I’m the most responsible.”

I roll my eyes.

“Then make yourself useful by being responsible for divvying up the supplies,” I say, pushing to my feet and getting to work. “We won’t need to keep rations for five. And you two will need some of the weapons back in our world. As soon as Greer is strong enough to continue, we’ll move.”